From the statements given below, choose the correct ones about the fortifications and roads in Vijayanagara Empire.

A. Paes, an ambassador from Persia, mentioned seven lines of forts.
B. Razzaq said that cementing was used in the walls of the fort.
C. There was no fortification around the agricultural fields.
D. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates linking the city to the major road.
E. The arch on the gateway led to the fortified settlement.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

D, E only

The correct answer is Option (2) → D, E only

A. Paes, an ambassador from Persia, mentioned seven lines of forts. (Incorrect)
B. Razzaq said that cementing was used in the walls of the fort. (Incorrect)
C. There was no fortification around the agricultural fields. (Incorrect)
D. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates linking the city to the major road. (Correct)
E. The arch on the gateway led to the fortified settlement. (Correct)

Before we examine the different parts of the city in detail let us look at what enclosed them all – the great fortress walls. Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia to Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) in the fifteenth century, was greatly impressed by the fortifications, and mentioned seven lines of forts. These encircled not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests. The outermost wall linked the hills surrounding the city. The massive masonry construction was slightly tapered. No mortar or cementing agent was employed anywhere in the construction. The stone blocks were wedge shaped, which held them in place, and the inner portion of the walls was of earth packed with rubble. Square or rectangular bastions projected outwards.

What was most significant about this fortification is that it enclosed agricultural tracts. Abdur Razzaq noted that “ between the first, second and the third walls there are cultivated fields, gardens and houses”. And Paes observed: “From this first circuit until you enter the city there is a great distance, in which are fields in which they sow rice and have many gardens and much water, in which water comes from two lakes.” These statements have been corroborated by present-day archaeologists, who have also found evidence of an agricultural tract between the sacred centre and the urban core. This tract was serviced by an elaborate canal system drawing water from the Tungabhadra.

Why do you think agricultural tracts were incorporated within the fortified area? Often, the objective of medieval sieges was to starve the defenders into submission. These sieges could last for several months and sometimes even years. Normally rulers tried to be prepared for such situations by building large granaries within fortified areas. The rulers of Vijayanagara adopted a more expensive and elaborate strategy of protecting the agricultural belt itself. A second line of fortification went round the inner core of the urban complex, and a third line surrounded the royal centre, within which each set of major buildings was surrounded by its own high walls. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates, which linked the city to the major roads. Gateways were distinctive architectural features that often defined the structures to which they regulated access. The arch on the gateway leading into the fortified settlement as well as the dome over the gate are regarded as typical features of the architecture introduced by the Turkish Sultans. Art historians refer to this style as Indo-Islamic, as it grew continually through interaction with local building practices in different regions.